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Yadda, yadda yadda and other annoying phrases

What annoying phrases from popular culture are speakers over-using in their presentations?
For example: I heard one speaker say "yadda, yadda, yadda" three times within 30 - minutes.

Here are a few replys from other speakers.


I am tired of hearing speakers say "Let me un pack this for you". This causes a mental shut down...

Sandra Vogel, PhD
International Trainer, facilitator and speaker with e-learning and bundled learning solutions.


Ah... you pressed a button here! So, well, you know, it's like it's sorta, kinda, basically a bit like this. Note that the last sentence conveys no definite statement of fact or emotion whatsoever. If you listen actively, you'll hear that a lot of people simply fail to produce coherent, crisp sentences, even when they are "trained" public speakers. In my own language it would be the endemic use of "zeg maar" which has infested everyday speech. It's our equivalent of "like" or "sorta". Even seasoned public speakers (the prime minister comes to mind) use it.

Martijn Sjoorda
Research Director, FreshOrange


This is GREAT! I reference these over-used phrases in my keynote/seminars. A personal pet peeve of mine is: "SO, How many of you have ever....?' as an opener. It's okay to open with a question, but unless the energy in the room is already peaked, the audience usually does not want to raise their hands at the beginning of a presentation. Feel free to add the contrite: Synergize, monetize, bring to the table, reinvent the wheel, carve out a niche, core competencies, low hanging fruit, deliverables, action items, and...GAZILLIONS more. There is actually a "buzzword" game to play during executive meeitngs that lists many of these. It's FUN!

James Hamilton
Corporate Speaker, Author, Connections expert


Just yesterday, I heard a speaker say, "Well, at the end of the day..." three times within a 20 minute talk. It's quickly moving to the top of the overused cliches list.

Mandi Stanley
Certified Speaking Professional at Mandi Stanley Speaker Services


Moving forward, going forward..what other direction would we go in? It is definitely overused not just in speeches but in everyday conversation.

Sue Birkam
Owner, Freedom Life Coaching, LLC


I’m not as bothered by the new buzzwords/phrases because they come and go. What drives my crazy is "irregardless". I am also guilty of using the following "they may or may not...." well that doesn’t really narrow it down does it. It’s like saying it "may or may not rain..." although 100% correct it has not moved us any closer to valuable information. I also not a big fan of anything that comes after a phrase such as "my granddaddy used to say..." It’s always some hokey, folk wisdom designed to cut through the clutter of today’s sophisticated jargon and get back to the basics. However, I guess if you are Zig Ziglar and your persona is based on being folksy it works. OK, for the record I have used every one of these except irregardless. Maybe there is a speaker’s anonymous program I can join

Mike Smithgall
Digital Media Sales Consultant at Jacksonville.com


I coach my clients to put the following lines into storage... —"Let's take it to the next level..." —"You may of heard of Harry Truman"...-(DUH!--the device of saying "you may have heard of" is very tired way of trying to engage people's minds) —"Let's drill down on that for a moment..." —"I just want to be clear..." —"My friends..." (sorry Mr. McCain) —"Here are some of the funny things kids have said to God..." (good grief--we all own computers) —"(tear in voice) I'm sorry, I always get emotional when I tell that story..." That's the very short list! There's a book in there for one of us...

Doug Lawrence
Public Speaking Coach, Speech Writer, and Presentation Advisor


I have 2 verbal peeves. The first is "to be perfectly honest". Is there an imperfect way to be honest? If there is someone please let me in on it. The other is "can I be honest with you?" My visceral response -- No, please continue to lie to me.

Olalah Njenga
Marketing Strategist


George Torok
Speech Coach for Executives
Presentation Skills Training

Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.
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